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U.S Senator Dick Durbin, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Father Garanzini and Alderman Joe Moore joined with others in the official unveiling of the renovated CTA Loyola Red Line Station.

The changes were made possible by $11 million in federal funding and $6.9 million in real estate acquisitions, business re-locations and street scape improvements from Loyola.

The $20 million project included station and track infrastructure upgrades, a reconfigured pedestrian crossing and a new open-air community plaza adjacent to the station, creating a safer, more inviting environment for commuters and pedestrians.

The collaborative $20 million project included station and track infrastructure upgrades, a reconfigured pedestrian crossing and a new open-air community plaza adjacent to the station, creating a safer, more inviting environment for commuters and pedestrians. All projects were completed earlier this fall.

The dedication marked Senator Durbin’s first visit to the 49th Ward since July, 2011, when he joined me in announcing the acquisition of $11 million in federal funding to support construction of the project. Loyola University invested an additional $6.9 million in real estate acquisitions, business relocations and streetscape improvements to create the beautiful plaza that now graces the Sheridan Road entrance to the station.

As Mayor Emanuel pointed out, more people take the CTA in one month than all of Amtrak nationwide all year. “Modernizing [the CTA] has been a single focus of the City’s,” he added.

“The Loyola CTA Station is the front door to Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus and one of the busiest commuter stations on the north side,” said Father Garanzini. “The important structural and safety renovations made to the station were critical to ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone who passes through it each day, and we are delighted with the end result.”

I noted that not only is the Loyola station the front door to the university’s campus, “it is also the southern gateway to Rogers Park and the 49th Ward.” With the Loyola station rehabilitation, every Rogers Park commuter will now enjoy a safe and inviting station from which to board the train.

Construction continues on a four-story, mixed use building immediately north of the new plaza (see rendering on the left). The building, owned by Loyola University, will contain approximately 15,000 square feet of first-floor retail space and house 41 one-bedroom apartments.

The building is scheduled for occupancy next summer and will nicely complement the new stationhouse and plaza.

The Loyola Station rehab was first announced in July, 2011, and construction of both the plaza and the building received unanimous support at a community meeting I hosted in April, 2012.

If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to check out the renovated station and plaza.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he would not be rushed into decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana because doing so creates its own set of problems that other cities have been forced to correct.

The mayor shined the light on his deliberations on the hot-button issue as Chicago aldermen formally introduced their decriminalization plan after releasing ward-by-ward statistics that show minorities bear the brunt of pot busts.

Emanuel said that writing tickets instead of arresting people for small marijuana busts was suggested by police officers over the summer. That same night, Emanuel then asked top police brass “to look into it.”

Does that mean the mayor is inclined to go along with the idea? Not so fast.

“This issue has two parts to it, not one,” he said. “The first part, which is what’s motivating people, is the issue of the cost in the system: arresting, overtime, court, jail. Then there’s also the criminal justice side. I have to evaluate and will evaluate both.”

“If you look at other cities that have done something like this, they have also created their own set of problems on the criminal side,” he said.

The ordinance introduced at Wednesday’s city council meeting would allow police to issue $200 tickets to those carrying 10 grams or less of marijuana. That’s instead of having police spend hours off the street hauling someone into jail on a misdemeanor charge, only to have 90 percent of those cases dismissed.

At a city hall news conference earlier Wednesday, nine aldermen also pointed to the disproportionate number of minorities arrested for marijuana possession over the last decade.

The West Side’s 28th Ward led the city with 12,270 arrests. The 32nd and 43rd Wards had 719 and 529 arrests respectively during that time, even though DePaul University straddles both wards.

Seven other black wards each recorded more than 7,000 arrests over the decade.

“The real tragedy of this is that most of these arrests are being made are in poor, African-American, Hispanic communities where high-crime rates are going on and police are being taking out of the field,” said 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis, the plan’s chief sponsor, who acknowledged that ticket revenue would be an “added plus.”

First Ward Alderman Joe Moreno pointed to this week’s Sun-Times series that shows Mexican drug cartels are supplying the bulk of the marijuana on Chicago streets and that grass sales are bankrolling the rest of their drug operations.

Solis acknowledged that the proposal is not likely to pass until sometime next year, and only after “at least two public hearings” and consultations with police officials and social scientists.

Nearly half the city would fall into so-called safety zones where speed cameras sought by Mayor Rahm Emanuel could flag fast drivers for $100 tickets, according to a Tribune analysis of camera legislation in Springfield.

Emanuel has framed his plan in narrow terms, pitching it as a way to leverage technology to better protect children near schools and parks. But bills introduced at the mayor’s behest and being weighed this week by lawmakers would give him authority to use automated devices to nab speeders across a broad swath of city streets.

The measures, one sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and the other by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, would render about 47 percent of the city eligible for speed camera surveillance, the analysis found. As originally introduced last week, Madigan’s bill would have covered about 75 percent of the city, but he promised Tuesday to scale it back.

Even the 47 percent coverage projection is likely conservative. The newspaper analysis, using the bills as guides, measured the extent of camera-eligible zones surrounding parks and schools but did not include zones that would also be created around colleges and universities.

What’s more, the Tribune’s calculation includes the massive O’Hare International Airport and Lake Calumet regions, even though they have few publicly accessible roads — eliminating them would make the percentage higher. On the flip side, the calculation includes Lake Shore Drive and Chicago expressways, even though lawmakers say speed cameras would not be allowed there.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday ruled out installing toll booths on Lake Shore Drive or raising sales or income taxes — even as aldermen warmed to the concept of a 1 percent commuter tax on suburbanites who work in Chicago.

Those ideas — and dozens of others — are part of the $3 billion roadmap to financial stability outlined by Inspector General Joe Ferguson earlier in the week.

Emanuel has vowed to erase the city’s $635.7 million shortfall without raising taxes, cutting police officers or using one-time revenues. In spite of that promise and his strained relationship with Ferguson, the mayor did not dismiss the inspector general’s recommendations out of hand.

“There are a number of reforms and efficiencies … that are promising, some of which we have already implemented and some, we will give serious consideration,” the mayor said in a statement.

However, “as I have said from the beginning, raising property taxes, income taxes or the sales tax is off the table. Asking drivers on Lake Shore Drive to pay a toll is also a non-starter,” said the mayor, who campaigned on a promise to apply the sales tax to an array of services not now covered.

While the mayor is ruling out tax increases for the time being, Chicago aldermen are not. They’re particularly intrigued by the $300 million-a-year commuter tax, which would essentially be a 1 percent income tax on suburbanites who work in Chicago.

“I look at it as a user tax. … People who live outside the city and work in the city utilize our streets, our transportation systems. They’re in Chicago. They’re out of Chicago. Perhaps, there’s a price to be put on that,” said Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd).

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) added, “Membership has its privileges. … A lot of people come in the city. A lot of people outside do business with the city and we don’t recoup those dollars.”

Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), Emanuel’s City Council floor leader, was even open to a 1 percent city income tax on Chicagoans, provided it was part of a tax swap that reduced other levies.

“In theory, it’s probably a more fair type of tax than a lot of taxes we have. It’s based on an ability to pay as opposed to just a flat rate. [But] there would have to be some indication for taxpayers that this was an exchange,” O’Connor said.

“Would you roll back property taxes? Would you try and cap them in some way? …You couldn’t say we’re gonna do an income tax on top of the structure we currently have. People are not at a point where they can accept huge new taxes or taxes that might go in small and kind of wedge the door open and become huge down the road.”

Earlier this week, Ferguson served up a tantalizing, menu of 63 cost-cutting and revenue-raising ideas.

Some of them play right into Emanuel’s hands — like saving $190 million by eliminating supervisory personnel, 707 of them in the Chicago Fire Department, where there are 3.58 supervisors for every rank-and-file employee and 309 in the Police Department, where the current ratio is 8 to 1.

“If those figures are correct and if those folks just supervise and don’t have other duties, he may be on to something,” O’Connor said.

“Historically over the last many years, we have not looked tremendously hard at the police and fire budget to realize savings. They’ve kind of been the sacred cow. The idea of trying to go in there and find savings is appealing to everybody. He’s going in the direction that the administration has already been going in.”

The same could be said for Ferguson’s proposal to either privatize both recycling and garbage collection to save $165 million or keep it in-house, but switch to a grid system (saving $46.7 million) and reduce to one the number of laborers on a truck (saving $19.4 million).

“Garbage has been in the crosshairs of this administration since they got here. We’ve been attacking absenteeism. We’ve been talking about doing a grid system. We’ve been talking about trying to privatize a portion of it,” O’Connor said.

Dowell is one of many aldermen who remain dead set against a grid system for fear it would deprive them of their ability to respond to special requests for housekeeping services. In other words, O’Connor has his work cut out trying to sell it.

“You’d have to show me how all of the vacant lots I have are gonna be taken care of — my commercial corridors, the constant dumping of construction debris — how that gets addressed,” she said.

“I definitely would need to have the Streets and San crew have some kind of flexibility in being able to respond to emergencies in the ward.”

Chicago’s inspector general is offering Mayor Rahm Emanuel a $3 billion roadmap to financial stability that includes everything from a city income tax, commuter tax and tolls on Lake Shore Drive to privatizing garbage collection and converting 20 percent of all fire suppression apparatus to ambulances.

Last year, Inspector General Joe Ferguson rocked the boat with a $247.3 million menu of cost-cutting options that called for the city to fire 595 firefighters, 161 laborers and 75 downtown traffic control aides, impose a recycling fee and snatch away subsidies for senior citizens, condominium owners and non-profits.

This year’s version makes the earlier blueprint look like child’s play.

Although Emanuel has emphatically ruled out higher taxes, Ferguson is serving up 19 revenue generating ideas with tantalizing earning potential of $2.3 billion-a-year.

Chicago could raise $500 million-a-year by imposing a one percent city income tax, following New York City’s lead, the inspector general said.

A one percent commuter tax would have an annual take of $300 million. Resurrecting Emanuel’s controversial campaign promise to broaden the sales tax to an array of services not now covered — branded the “Rahm tax” by rivals — could yield $450 million.

Imposing a $5, London-style congestion fee on vehicles entering the city’s Central Business District during the morning and evening rush periods could raise $375 million, even after a 20 percent reduction in traffic to 400,000 vehicles-a-day.

The inspector general’s revenue menu also includes: raising water and sewer rates to the national average ($380 million); imposing a “pay-as-you-throw” garbage collection fee ($125 million); broadening the amusement tax ($105 million); and imposing a transaction tax on the major exchanges ($37 million) and imposing a blue cart recycling fee ($18 million).

Although Emanuel wants to reform, but keep tax-increment-financing districts, Ferguson says the city could save $100 million by eliminating all 160-plus TIF’s.

The list also includes eliminating free sewer service for senior citizens ($17 million); turning off the free water spigot for hospitals and non-profits ($15.2 million) and doubling ambulance fees ($13.2 million).

The $660 million in spending cuts are also politically-explosive.

The inspector general is tossing out the idea of merging the city and Chicago Park District to save $5 million.

In the Chicago Fire Department, where Emanuel has demanded a 20 percent cut, Ferguson is playing with fire by proposing that 20 percent of fire suppression apparatus be converted to ambulances to cut annual costs by $41.5 million.

To save $57 million-a-year, the inspector general is resurrecting his proposal to reduce — from five employees to four — the minimum required to staff every piece of fire apparatus. That’s the issue that touched off the bitter 1980 firefighters strike.

Ferguson also wants to disband the police marine and helicopter units ($6.2 million), eliminate quarterly pay for supervisors ($9.6 million) and get rid of duty availability pay that essentially compensates police officers and firefighters for being on call at all times ($52 million).

The inspector general wants to save $190 million by eliminating redundant layers of supervisory personnel, 707 of them in the Fire Department, where there are 3.58 supervisors for every rank-and-file employee and 309 in the Police Department, where the current ratio if 8-to-1.

Next week, Emanuel is scheduled to launch a ground-breaking “managed competition” between city crews and private recycling contractors.

But, that didn’t stop Ferguson from resurrecting his proposal to have the city choose between privatizing both recycling and garbage collection to save $165 million and keeping it in-house, but switching to a grid system ($46.7 million) and reducing to one the number of laborers on a truck ($19.4 million). He also wants to switch all employees to a 40-hour work week ($40 million) and eliminate the jobs of 200 motor truck drivers who do little more than transport city crews to job sites and wait for them to finish the job. The driver cuts would save $19 million.

Last year, Ferguson’s budget ideas were shot down right out of the box.

Aldermen were so incensed by the suggestions, they summoned city department heads to denounce the proposals as irresponsible.

Then-Budget Director Eugene Munin went so far as to suggest that Ferguson’s ideas could “put public safety at risk” and force nearly $90 million in new fees.

This time, the political climate is dramatically different and so is the reception.

“Pretty radical stuff, but everything should be on the table. Nothing should be dismissed out of hand,” said Ald. Joe Moore (49th).

“Some of it would prove to be politically challenging, however we’re running out of ideas. Everyone is saying next year’s budget is gonna be worse than this year’s. Thing that may have appeared politically impossible a few years ago may now be something we have no choice but to do.”

Emanuel has promised to erase the city’s $635.7 million shortfall without raising taxes, cutting police officers or using one-time or casino revenues. He has vowed to entertain any and all ideas that meet those criteria.

The question now is whether the mayor is open to suggestions from an inspector general with whom he has a strained relationship.

“There are serious fiscal challenges ahead, and we welcome any and all ideas that will protect Chicago’s taxpayers,” said Chris Mather, the mayor’s communications director.

This article puts in perspective how some aldermen “laughed off” the toll proposal.

Phil Ponce, anchor on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, and a panel of local journalists will critique Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s first days in office at Rating Rahm: The Media Assesses Mayor Emanuel, a forum occurring Tuesday, September 13, 6-7 p.m., at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus.

The panelists are:

Carol Marin, reporter at NBC 5 and Chicago Tonight

Charles Thomas, political reporter at ABC 7

Kristen Mack, City Hall reporter for the Chicago Tribune

Laura Washington, columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times

Mick Dumke, who covers City Hall for the Chicago Reader

The panelists will discuss how Emanuel has performed in office and evaluate how he’s addressed issues such as layoffs, the city’s budget deficit, crime, and the Chicago Public Schools. The panel is comprised of journalists whose “beats” primarily include Chicago politics, especially covering Emanuel’s numerous press conferences and public appearances.

“Reporters are the ones monitoring, on behalf of the public, what’s happening happening day to day,” Don Heider, dean of the School of Communication, says. “Most citizens do not have time or any inclination [to keep up,] so we depend on them to pay attention” and act as a watchdog.

Loyola’s School of Communication has made a tradition of hosting an annual fall forum that features high-profile panelists discussing a timely political issue. Ponce, a distinguished professional in residence at Loyola’s SOC, coordinates the event each year with the help of John Slania, program director of journalism. Ponce selects the panelists, consistently choosing people who foster a lively discussion. Last year, journalists and political commentators provided a midterm assessment of Barack Obama’s presidency.

Heider insists Ponce always brings “the best of the best in Chicago” to campus for the annual event.

Rating Rahm: The Media Assesses Mayor Emanuel will begin at 6 p.m. in Kasbeer Hall, on the 15th Floor of Corboy Law Center, 25 E. Pearson Street. The event is free and open to the public. Complimentary food and refreshments will be served.